Match of the '70s: Burnley

Game A April 29, 1973, Preston 1 Burnley 1

THE motives for success were very different on a dramatic final day.

Burnley needed a point to pip QPR in the race for the Second Division title and win promotion back to the top flight after a two-year exile, neighbours Preston needed the same to avoid relegation.

The Deepdale pitch had been narrowed by six yards, the middle of the playing surface was drenched in water and Preston packed eight defenders between Burnley and the goal.

Inevitably, the Clarets had the greater share of possession, but found Preston hard to break down.

The home side had only two in attack, but with Burnley stretched in their pursuit of an opening goal they were hit on the break.

The ball fell for Alan Lamb, who ran 40 yards unopposed before shifting the ball on to strike partner Alex Bruce to fire past Alan Stevenson.

Paul Fletcher thought he had equalised early in the second half, but his header was cleared off the line.

Other chances weren’t put away and QPR had one hand on the trophy.

But Colin Waldron snatched it back for the Clarets with a 25-yard left foot volley into the top corner.

Game B March 23, 1974, Leeds United 1 Burnley 4

WINNING the ‘war of the roses’ is always an occasion to savour, especially against Don Revie’s team of the 70s.

But there was a bitter sweet twist to this battle.

Burnley took the lead after 16 minutes following a foul on Leighton James. Dougie Collins floated in the free kick, Norman Hunter could only half clear and Frank Capser headed back across the face of goal for Paul Fletcher to finish from close range.

Allan Clarke headed Leeds level in the 39th minute, but within 60 seconds Burnley regained their lead with a goal that Fletcher still talks about to this day to give the Clarets a 2-1 half-time lead.

Geoff Nulty teed up Peter Noble’s centre for Fletcher, who with his back to goal sent an acrobatic scissor kick soaring past David Harvey in goal.

Fletcher turned provider for Dougie Collins to increase the lead with a deft lob in the second half, following good work by Martin Dobson and Casper.

Then in the 70th minute Collins floated a free kick to Waldron, who headed on for Geoff Nulty to nod in.

The game did end on a sour note, however, as Casper was the victim of an off-the-ball foul by Hunter which all but ended his career.

Game C Sep 13, 1975, Burnley 4 Norwich City 4

PETER Noble must have felt like he’d found a fiver and lost a tenner after scoring four times and yet failing to come out on the winning team.

The forward’s first came after only 30 seconds after latching on to Ian Brennan’s launched clearance, running clear of the defence and firing in firmly from 12 yards.

His tally was doubled before the half-hour from the penalty spot after Brian Flynn was fouled as he shaped to shoot.

Norwich pulled a goal back with a penalty of their own – Ted MacDougall sending Alan Stevenson the wrong way.

But Burnley restored their two-goal cushion just before the break through the game’s third penalty and Noble’s second, resulting in his hat-trick goal.

Norwich began their fightback with just over 20 minutes to go. MacDougall tapped in and Peters made it 3-3 from MacDougall’s pass.

With the clock running down, Noble risked everything to attack Summerbee’s free kick and find the top corner with a top header.

But with seconds to go, Phil Boyer snatched a point with a header close range header.

Game D December 5, 1978, Oldham 1 Burnley 4

SCINTILLATING Steve Kindon was at the double to secure silverware for the Clarets in the Anglo-Scottish Cup final.

Burnley didn’t let a frozen surface stop them in their tracks, with Kindon defying treacherous conditions on the Boundary Park surface to spearhead the attack.

He pounced with just a minute on the clock, receiving Paul Fletcher’s throughball to round the keeper and slot into an empty net.

It was 2-0 two minutes later, after Kindon chested down Leighton James’ cross for Peter Noble to score.

Oldham retaliated, but Burnley dug in to preseve their lead. It still needed Alan Stevenson to weigh in with a couple of eye-catching saves, laying the platform to Jim Thomson to more or less put the game to bed with a side-foot finish.

Kindon capped an excellent individual performance with a goal in-off the far post, after Tony Arins and Billy Ingham combined in the build-up.

The Latics pulled a goal back with six minutes to go, and even though they went on to win the second leg 1-0 at Turf Moor Burnley had already done enough.

Game E April 14, 1979, Blackburn Rovers 1 Burnley 2

APART from contributing to Rovers’ downfall, and relegation from the old Second Division, this game probably has greater significance now to those of a claret and blue persuasion than it did at the time.

For it is well documented that this was the last time Burnley earned derby bragging rights, thanks to goals from Tony Morley and Brian Hall.

The Clarets started brightly with early chances for Joe Jakub and Paul Fletcher.

Burnley were then down to 10 men for over quarter of an hour after Steve Kindon suddenly collapsed and went off on a stretcher. Manager Harry Potts eventually brought on substitute Morley, who went on to have a big say in the game.

But not before Simon Garner gave Blackburn the lead against the run of play.

Burnley keeper Alan Stevenson was called into action to stop a second, saving superbly from Duncan McKenzie.

A defensive error just seconds into the second half laid the equaliser on a plate for Morley, who shaved the post after another slip-up a minute later.

Hall then clinched it for the Clarets in the 71st minute, burying his shot from Peter Noble’s flick-on.